Big, Bold (And Sometimes) Beautiful Serif Slab Fonts

Bold and Slab Serifs have become popular again, maybe as an antidote to the digital perfection of some newer, cleaner fonts. Slab Serifs work extremely well when mixed and matched with lighter typefaces and that’s something we’re seeing in web design now. Big, bold headings and logos used alongside “web-safe” body copy. Slab Serif typefaces offer a huge amount of variety and are excellent for providing contrast and drawing attention both to graphic design and web design work.

The term “Slab” actually covers a multitude, so it should be noted that within that umbrella term, there are several sub-categories such as Clarendons, Contemporary Text Faces, Classic Text Faces, Standard-Bearers, and Massive Display Examples. Basically everything from the old Playbill style lettering to electric typewriter style falls under Slab.

A (very) short history.In the nineteenth century, wood type became very popular for advertisements and posters. Engravers carved individual letters out of wood. Naturally enough, it would be difficult to cut the very fine and thin lines which were achievable with metal type, and from this came big, bold typefaces. Slab Serif fonts were particularly suited for this method of creating fonts. This was the start of development of typefaces for “display” purposes.

Slab Serif fonts were sometimes referred to as “Egyptian” fonts because in 1809, Napoleon returned from an Egyptian expedition and published a book called Description de l’Égypt. It seems like everyone went bananas for the look and feel of Eqypt, and typographers used the term because it was in vogue. The term does not have anything to do with Hieroglyphs.

They were used frequently on the “Wanted” posters of the American West and some still convey that sense of the Wild West. Initially, the typefaces were created as all-caps, with lower-case letters appearing later. On the right you can see the famous (in Ireland!) 1916 Rising Proclamation using this style of font.

Another company that I’ve come across which makes use an interesting use of Slab Serif fonts in their work is Made In Hollywood. They don’t use it on their website, but rather in their designs which are made entirely from foam.

Would you use this kind of typeface in your design work? Have you seen other Slab Serif fonts you really like?